Westmoreland County was formed on February 26, 1773 as approved by the courts, which I have references to on hand regarding the Act Actually, in 1750 it was a contained in a large portion of Cumberland County, as was Bedford County, which was formed in 1771 from Cumberland also. This should clear up the matter of the date the county was formed. Ellen Ballas

In a message dated 6/14/2008 5:06:12 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Westmoreland County was formed in 1773 from every reference I have. That's right after the Mason Dixon Survey, so probably, yes. The inhabitants may not have been quite as sure, however. My Mohr family settled in Lebanon Co., but insisted they were born in Lancaster Co., and even named counties across the country Lancaster Co. for the county they were sure they were born in. I found their records in Lebanon Co. Shirley Maynard Hampton, VA **************Vote for your city's best dining and nightlife. City's Best 2008. (http://citysbest.aol.com?ncid=aolacg00050000000102)

You may want to search in Virginia records, as well. This area was disputed between colonial Virginia and colonial Pennsylvania and both set up courts in whatever building was available in the areas.. The Mason Dixon line finally settled the question where Virginia's claim ended. However, it was so mountainous between the two that sometimes the inhabitants themselves weren't aware which colony they were in. Also, some simply went to the nearest "courthouse," ignoring lines that existed on crude maps but not on trails and routes. I learned as well that those who had roots in Virginia tended to go to that court house, as did the Pennsylvanians to the court held by PA. Be sure to check both colonies' records. Shirley Maynard Hampton, VA **************Vote for your city's best dining and nightlife. City's Best 2008. (http://citysbest.aol.com?ncid=aolacg00050000000102)

Dear Stephanie, I'm afraid a mistake was made in telling you that Westmoreland was not formed until later. It was formed in 1773. I'll bet that confused you. I do research there on a private pro basis on a selective basis from time to time and have been at it for years. If I would check the Orphans Court Index books I would be able to tell what is recorded in that respect, if anything. It is hard to say whether there would be paperwork that survived, beyond the books, for that early time period without just going there to see. One other thing that might help is this. If the person owned land then something might also appear in regard to heirs in the deed volumes. Tell me the name of the person in the will. It might be someone that I have known about before, as I belong to lineage organizations. I am also the volunteer researcher for the Elizabeth Twp. His. Soc. At the edge of Allegheny County, but I live in Westmoreland County. Best Regards, Ellen Ballas

Link please? At 05:50 PM 6/14/2008, you wrote: >There was no Westmoreland in 1776. > >Most of the subsequent Orphans Court records have been posted online. > >On Sat, Jun 14, 2008 at 9:41 AM, Stephanie <[email protected]> wrote: > > Good Morning, Could someone tell he what records are available at the > Westmoreland Courthouse around 1776? I have a will with that date and am > trying to find if there are any "orphan's court" records where guardians > would be appt. for the minor children. Any help is appreciated. Is there > a professional researcher in the area?? Stephanie in Oregon > > "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." > > William Shakespeare > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >[email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >quotes in the subject and the body of the message >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG. >Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 270.3.0/1502 - Release Date: 6/13/2008 >7:25 PM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 270.3.0/1502 - Release Date: 6/13/2008 7:25 PM

I think someone here made a mis-statement! Westmoreland County was formed in 1773 from every reference I have.

Thank you to everyone trying to help. I live in Oregon so have no idea what the country side was like or the history of the area. Does anyone know of a good local history book that would give me some insight to the settlement?? The family I am researching is GIBBS, also GIB, GIBB, etc. I have the will of Robert Gibbs dated 1776, Westmoreland County. The ex. are his wife Elizabeth and son Hugh. I am interested in trying to locate records from the Orphan's Court, as he had young children. In 1780 Elizabeth and Hugh are in Cumberland Co. and sell the land in Westmoreland. There are two Hugh Gibbs I believe in Cum. Co. at that time. By 1792, Elizabeth and children are in Logan Co., KY. Was there a good road between Westmoreland and Cumberland Co. I believe Robert and family may have lived in Cumberland Co., even Lancaster before Cum. county was divided, went to West. co., and after he died the widow and children moved back to Cum. County. I anxious await any comments from people familiar with the area and what records are available. Thank you very much. Stephanie, Oregon "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." William Shakespeare

>There was no Westmoreland in 1776. Not quite so. Westmoreland County (Pennsylvania) was formed in 1773. Phil Phil Knox <[email protected]> My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~pknox/ NOTE: E-mail and attachments are automatically scanned by ESET NOD 32 Antivirus software.

According to the Westmoreland County Historical Society, Westmoreland County was "erected" in 1773 and was the last county formed in Pennsylvania before the Revolutionary War. Shirley Long Hunt

There was no Westmoreland in 1776. Most of the subsequent Orphans Court records have been posted online. On Sat, Jun 14, 2008 at 9:41 AM, Stephanie <[email protected]> wrote: > Good Morning, Could someone tell he what records are available at the Westmoreland Courthouse around 1776? I have a will with that date and am trying to find if there are any "orphan's court" records where guardians would be appt. for the minor children. Any help is appreciated. Is there a professional researcher in the area?? Stephanie in Oregon > "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." > William Shakespeare > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

In a message dated 6/13/2008 8:54:22 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: I found this listing, but nothing for that specific time period I know that in the south the years and decades following the end of the Civil War was devastating. The elderly and the children and the newborns had a difficult time surviving. My great great grandfathers were not doctors or pharmacists but they were educated and when they moved to the hills in Arkansas, they carried books with them that enabled them to doctor and prepare medication. My grandmother gathered herbs and roots for them. The north had a growing immigrant population from the turmoil in Europe in that period. Many immigrants carried the Old World diseases with them. Sanitation in the larger cities was almost non-existent. The rural areas depended mainly on "natural" sanitation, bury the garbage or feed it to the hogs in the back yard or the chickens close by, lime the outhouses, rain to wash away waste. We washed the jars in hot soapy water to preserve food, but we used the boiling method, not the pressure method. Some women would "sample" the canned food before trusting it to her family. Others didn't and some died from botulism. We mustn't forget that trains with their dirty smoke ran in Westmoreland Co. at that time. My father had black lung disease, and I, a child who lived next to the track in a coal mining town for 10 years have had lung problems, probably black lung, the doctors say. My stepmother told of the time her mother deliberately sold a cow she knew had TB before the symptoms were noticeable. That meat was sold to the public. Along with the milk prior to butchering. Her daughter said she felt shame for what her mother did to other people, but her mother, an immigrant, said they did it in the Old Country. My grandmother in Indian Territory lost 3 of her 6 children to diphtheria from the "sweetest water in the world." She sold that water to others without wells.. I've read a dozen or more civil war pension applications and many of the ailments may have been contracted in the south and carried north or may just as likely have been fostered in the north. Parasites were in both places. I know for a fact some outhouses were built uphill from the homes. Lime was used, but the ground water would have been contaminated. I can still see the outdoor pump in line with the outhouse 30 or so feet above it. My father contracted malaria from a nephew who returned from the Asian theater with raging fevers (to the point of losing his memory for several months) some years after he was supposedly cured of it. This nephew died within the last 10 years complaining of "worms crawling out of the pores of his face." He would awaken and find tiny white strings on his pillow. He carried something back with him from the islands that incubated for decades. So it wouldn't have taken a world or even a local epidemic to have killed a lot of people in a certain decade. Well water contaminated in one neighborhood, not in another. Doctors unable to diagnose the new symptoms or not have the right medicine. Proximity of ill people and lack of sanitation. Contamination from new places and new diseases, many without the immunity that a lifetime exposure would have helped fight. We have to add air contamination now. The separate fires in the swamps in North Carolina and in the Dismal Swamp in Virginia have activated my allergy to wood fire smoke. Many have been warned to stay indoors under air conditioners, the elderly, children, heart patients, and those with asthma. It's just in my lifetime that polio has been controlled. Our parents were terrified of it for us. One of my friends did get it. My children were born just as the vaccine was found (a second stepmother, a nurse, was a guinea pig for Dr. Salk and did get a mild form of polio). But we do have increased environmental issues, poor sanitation in the foods we import, proximity to people, ability to travel to other places and carry our germs with us and pick up others' germs, acid rain, new viruses.. Don't particularly look for a large epidemic (other than the Spanish Flu) to explain a several deaths in a family or neighborhood. It could have been something as simple as a well gone bad or a woods on fire or eating spoiled food. Shirley Maynard Hampton, VA **************Vote for your city's best dining and nightlife. City's Best 2008. (http://citysbest.aol.com?ncid=aolacg00050000000102)

Good Morning, Could someone tell he what records are available at the Westmoreland Courthouse around 1776? I have a will with that date and am trying to find if there are any "orphan's court" records where guardians would be appt. for the minor children. Any help is appreciated. Is there a professional researcher in the area?? Stephanie in Oregon "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." William Shakespeare

In a message dated 6/13/2008 8:54:36 PM Central Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: http://www.familyhistory101.com/encyclopedia/epidemics.html Dawne, Thanks so much. Linda **************Vote for your city's best dining and nightlife. City's Best 2008. (http://citysbest.aol.com?ncid=aolacg00050000000102)

I found this listing, but nothing for that specific time period. http://www.familyhistory101.com/encyclopedia/epidemics.html Dawne ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 8:43 PM Subject: [PAWESTMO] epidemic in Westmoreland County 1878-1881 > Does anyone know if there was some sort of epidemic in Westmoreland Co. > during the 1878-1881 time period? > > Linda > > > > **************Vote for your city's best dining and nightlife. City's Best > 2008. (http://citysbest.aol.com?ncid=aolacg00050000000102) > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Does anyone know if there was some sort of epidemic in Westmoreland Co. during the 1878-1881 time period? Linda **************Vote for your city's best dining and nightlife. City's Best 2008. (http://citysbest.aol.com?ncid=aolacg00050000000102)

Hello All, A great big thank you to all the volunteers to the PAGenWeb Project, who's efforts are now beginning to receive some recognition at high levels. Two of the Somerset County PA USGenWeb Projects have been recognized by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) on their website. The first recognition is a link to the WPA Records Project-Cemetery Transcriptions for Somerset County, which was placed as a link on the PHMC web page on FDR's New Deal. The Link can be found at http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=2844&&SortOrder=400&level=4&parentCommID=2829&menuLevel=Level_4&mode=2&in_hi_userid=2&cached=true The second recognition is a link for the Somerset County PAGenWeb Tombstone Photo Project, which has been place on the PHMC Cemetery Preservation Pages at http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=1929&&SortOrder=190&level=3&parentCommID=1875&menuLevel=Level_3&mode=2&in_hi_userid=2&cached=true The Cemetery Preservation Page also recognizes the Allegheny County PAGenWeb Tombstone Photo Project, and the Westmoreland County Tombstone Photo Project. The recognition is a reward to all of our volunteers who have worked so hard to help make the PAGenWeb one of the best sites for Pennsylvania Genealogy on the Internet. A hardy thanks to everyone who has so graciously contributed their time, and their research to the projects. Ellis Michaels Co-coordinator Pennsylvania USGenWeb Tombstone Project Allegheny County PA USGenWeb Archives File Manager Clearfield County PA USGenWeb Coordinator Clearfield CountyPA USGenWeb Archives File Manager [email protected] "If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing" (Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac)

Thanks Barbara, I do that. Linda **************Vote for your city's best dining and nightlife. City's Best 2008. (http://citysbest.aol.com?ncid=aolacg00050000000102)

Wanted to share something I just saw in AARP newsletter regarding Grave Tending. And I quote: "For a fee, Gravescape,com will clean up the gravesites of family and friends, plus provide photographic evidence that a floral arrangement or vase was left at the appropriate tombstone or mausoleum. The brainchild of Ohio businessman Mark Martin, Gravescape.com is for people who find that distance makes a cemetery visit impractical. The cost of the services runs from $60 to $110." AARP Bulletin, June 2008 Hope this may help someone - most of us are far away from the resting places of loved ones. ============================================================================== This communication, together with any attachments hereto or links contained herein, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain information that is confidential or legally protected. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any review, disclosure, copying, dissemination, distribution or use of this communication is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail message and delete the original and all copies of the communication, along with any attachments hereto or links herein, from your system. ============================================================================== The Travelers e-mail system made this annotation on 06/13/08, 09:32:53.

Linda, A few years ago I hired a researcher. I contacted the Westmoreland County Historical Society and they referred me to one. She was terrific and very reasonable. I used her for a couple of different assignments and was extremely satisfied both times. I can't locate my file right now to give you her name. I'm sure her name was Karen and I think her last name was Fitzpatrick, but I'm not sure. In any event, the historical society should be able to help you. Barbara ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, June 09, 2008 10:49 PM Subject: [PAWESTMO] Needed Professional Researcher > I in great need of a professional researcher who can check Westmoreland > Court records. > > Linda > > > > **************Vote for your city's best dining and nightlife. City's Best > 2008. (http://citysbest.aol.com?ncid=aolacg00050000000102) > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Dear Linda, I'll check the date for Ellis & if you need a headed page I can get that too. It won't be until next Wednesday. Ellen